For The Modern-Day Man, Commitments Are Choices, Not Constraints

Commitment is not a word the new-age man is afraid of. He is not scared to own up, to take responsibility. The modern man embraces his flaws and his strengths. He makes his own choices and sticks by them, no matter what.

The new-age man lives life on his terms; he doesn't succumb to societal constructs; he is a rebel but he is not a rebel without a cause. He may think marriage as a concept is overrated but he will stand by his family when they need it the most. He is not shy to express his emotions, he is not wary of love. He loves and loses openly and he has no regrets. He cries while watching romantic movies and he wears swimming goggles while cutting onions. Contrary to what the world thinks, he is amazing at multi-tasking and he has a blast doing so.

He is the guy who parties till late with his friends but he can also be the guy who will wake up super early to prepare breakfast when his partner has an important meeting in office. He is the guy who will binge-eat pizza over the weekend, but he is also the guy who can trek fifty kilometers just to watch that beautiful sunrise.

He can be the guy who beats up the strongest of men in the boxing ring, but stays up all night when his toddler falls sick. Men today do not fit into a single gender role, written for them ages ago and strengthened by repetitive performance over centuries.

Bollywood choreographer and ballroom dancer Sandip Soparkar is a shining example. In 2007, Soparkar adopted a boy and in doing so, became the first single man in India to adopt. It wasn't easy to convince authorities and it took 4 years for his application to be approved. What business would a single and successful man in India have adopting? Sandip admitted it was frustrating, "I did get frustrated at times. I had to answer weird queries like 'why would a tall, good looking young man like me want to adopt a child?'” Little did they know that the India they knew is changing and men could be so much more.

Sandip's mother Rani Soparrkar said, "I'm proud of my son […] Besides, we know that Sandip will make an excellent father whether he is single or married. Already father and son are inseparable!"

Sandip has been one of the most successful dancers in India. He was given the title of 'Ballroom Dance Jewel' at the British House of Commons and is the first Indian who was invited to conduct a dance session for the staff of United Nations. Not many know, but Sandip is a trained chef and worked as one before he became a professional dancer. The man has been breaking conventions for long. Doing his bit for the society, Sandip turned philanthropist as well and has developed a dance program for the visually challenged.

For centuries, we men have been made to believe that we have to be superheroes who are supposed to protect, earn, build and repeat. For centuries, men have spent their whole lives trying to be that, often crumbling under the pressure. But the modern man has realized that the definition of superhero has changed. Being yourself is the real heroic feat today, and the new-age man knows that all too well, which is why he is embracing each and every inch of his identity and his choices.

He is not ashamed to ask for directions; his masculinity is not threatened when he stays back at home and cooks for his family; he is the guy who couriers his mom medicines; he is the guy who freaks out when he sees a drop of blood on his kid's finger.

One of the most common misconceptions about modern men is that they don't know how to care, commit and love, that they are reckless and rough. They may be rockstars, they may be rugged sportsmen but the thing that sets them apart from their ancestors is sensitivity and humaneness. They can be rowdy drinkers but they also have your back when

Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook, pledged to donate 99 percent of his Facebook shares to charity after the birth of his daughter. One would assume that a man who runs a billion-dollar company would be too busy for his family, but Mark proved social constructs wrong when he took two months' paternity leave at the birth of his daughter. "I'm pretty sure the office will still be standing when I get back," he said.

And that's how men prioritize. They are climbing up the mountains but they also stop to smell the flowers on the way. They are following their heart and that includes love and family too. They have discarded age-old conventions but they have kept things that matter. Their commitments are their choices, and not constraints put by society.